40

Zach’s POV

“You should really see your face right now.”

Bella’s voice was light, almost amused, like she was commenting on the weather instead of standing in the middle of a storm she had created.

“My face?” I repeated, my tone dangerously calm as I ran my hand through my face.

“Yes,” she said, tilting her head as she studied me like I was some exhibit. “Your brows are practically kissing each other. You are terrible at hiding anger, Zach.”

I clenched my jaw.“I’m not angry.” I said after some thought, trying to hide my anger.

She laughed out loud, “Please,” she scoffed, folding her arms. “You are vibrating with it. It’s almost embarrassing for you to be trying to hide it.” 

“Get out,” I said almost immediately as I was getting pissed off already.

The words came out sharp, final, and like a command.

Even in my range, Bella didn’t move an itch. There was no atom of fear in her eyes as she stood looking at me critically.

Instead, she walked past me like she owned the room, like she owned me and dropped onto the couch. 

She snatched the remote from my hand before I could react, thereby making me angrier.

“What are you doing?” I snapped, my fist coiling up.

“Watching the news,” she said casually, already flipping through channels. “Relax, you are too tense,” she added as she rolled her eyes at me.

“I said get out, Bella,” I shouted, trying to put some fear in her.

“And I said, ' Relax,” she shot back, not even sparing me a glance or taking notice of what I'm saying.

The screen lit up with footage from earlier cameras flashing, reporters talking over each other, headlines crawling across the bottom, and then her.

Bella footage popped up again on the screen. She was perfect, radiant, and smiling like she hadn’t just turned my entire world into a battlefield.

“There,” she said softly, almost dreamily. “Look at that,” she added, still pointing at the TV.

I didn’t want to but I did as every frame was her, every angle, flawless, and every shot well calculated.

“God,” she murmured, leaning forward slightly. “I look beautiful,” she committed. 

My hands curled into fists as my breath so heavy. “Yes,” she continued, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “Every angle, every shot. It’s almost like they couldn’t get enough of me.”

I swallowed hard because all I could think about was ruining that beauty and erasing that smile from her face.

Breaking that confidence piece by piece until she remembered exactly who she belonged to.

“You are obsessed with yourself,” I muttered silently, trying to control myself.

“And you are obsessed with controlling me,” she fired back instantly.

Silence stretched between us, tense, thick, and dangerous. Then she turned to me, her eyes gleaming with something wicked.

“Oh, and speaking of the drive…” she said lightly.

I was mute as I looked at her, waiting to hear what she wanted to say.

“We made a quick stop,” she said calmly, rolling her eyes and being aware of the effect of what she's about to say will have on me.

My gaze snapped to her. “What stops?” I asked and she smiled.

“I love his hands,” she said, almost like she was confessing something intimate, something forbidden, and something meant to provoke.

My chest tightened. “What did you just say?” I demanded that she repeat it, but she was already standing, about to walk toward me, and already closing the distance.

Before I could react, her lips brushed against mine, soft, brief, and calculated. A kiss that meant nothing and everything.

“Don’t overthink it,” she whispered against my lips. Then she pulled away and walked out.

Just like that, leaving behind silence, leaving behind chaos, and leaving me standing there with thoughts clawing through my head like wild animals.

My vision darkened because I couldn’t unhear it, not after everything that had happened between Hayden and Livia.

“Damn it!” I roared, grabbing the glass on the table and hurling it across the room. It shattered against the wall, fragments scattering like the control I was rapidly losing.

I should have ended it, I should have smashed his head in when I had the chance, both of them.

Now I had to be smarter, colder, and more precise because Bella wasn’t just reckless.

She was playing a game and if she had anything to do with Livia’s accusation. Then I would make sure she paid for it.

I pulled out my phone and dialed immediately. “Perry.”

“Zach?” his voice came through, cautious. “What’s wrong now?” he asked.

“I need you to look into something,” I demanded.

There was a pause from his end. “That doesn’t sound good,” he finally said.

I paced the room, running a hand through my hair.

“I want everything on Bella,” I said. “Every call, every movement and every conversation she had recently,” I demanded angrily.

There was another pause, longer this time.

“Zach…” Perry started carefully. “You think Bella.”

“I don’t think,” I cut him off sharply. “I know she’s involved,” I said.

“With Livia’s accusation?” he asked, disbelief clear in his tone. “That’s… that’s a stretch, even for you.” Perry stammered on the phone.

I stopped pacing. “Is it?” I asked quietly.

“Bella is a lot of things,” Perry continued, “but I’m not sure she will go that far.”

I let out a cold laugh. “You are not sure?” I repeated. “Perry, look at everything happening, look at the timing and look at her behavior.”

“That doesn’t prove…”

“It proves she’s desperate,” I snapped immediately, and there was silence.

“Desperate people,” I continued, my voice dropping, “do dangerous things.”

Perry exhaled slowly. “You are letting your emotions cloud your judgment,” he said.

“No,” I said flatly. “I’m finally seeing clearly.”

Another pause followed, then, reluctantly, “What exactly do you want me to find?” Perry finally requested.

“Anything,” I said. “Something I can use.”

“To do what?” he asked softly, like someone who's not interested in what I was requesting.

I smiled, a slow, dark, dangerous smile.

“To make her remember who she belongs to,” I said.

Perry didn’t respond immediately, and when he finally spoke, his voice was heavier.

“Zach, be careful,” he warned softly.

“Just do it,” I said coldly, and I hung up.

At this point, being careful was the last thing on my mind. Bella wanted to play games. Fine.

I will show her exactly how cruel I could be when I decided to win.